Smoky Coplas

Afro-Spanish singer Concha Buika has attracted the attention of music fans and critics alike. Even though her roots come from Africa, Buika captures the deepest soul of Spanish music. On Niña de Fuego (Fire Girl) she takes the old time coplas (traditional Spanish song) and Mexican rancheras, which many music fans in younger generations saw as old fashioned and stale, and made them cool again. There are also a few new songs composed by Buika and Javier Limón.

With the help of renowned producer Javier Limón, Buika uses her captivating smoky voice and blends her songs about love and longing affection with Flamenco and Afro-Cuban arrangements that include Flamenco guitar, fretless bass, jazz piano and salsa-style brass. The list of musicians that participate in the recording is impressive and it includes leading Flamenco artists as well as some of the finest Cuban musicians living in Spain.

Buika has one of the best new voices in Spanish music. Highly recommended.

Author: Angel Romero

Angel Romero y Ruiz has been writing about world music and progressive music for many years. He founded the websites worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. Angel produced several specials for Metropolis (TVE) and co-produced “Musica NA”, a music show for Televisión Española (TVE) in Spain that featured an eclectic mix of world music, fusion, electronica, new age and contemporary classical music. Angel also produced and remastered world music and electronic music albums, compilations and boxed sets for Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Music of the World, Lektronic Soundscapes, and Mindchild Records. Angel is currently based in Durham, North Carolina.